Posted:7th Aug 2006Some garages sell paraffin (Q8 in Girton does, not sure which others). Garden centres are also usually a good bet. If your coming down on a sunday let me know and I can pick you some up if you have trouble getting hold of it.

I finally got some parafin, but thanks for ur help...i dnt even kno where its from coz my blokes dad got it for me, cant believe how cheap it is!!!

So i got some practice started but lo n behold, it was crap!!! The flame lasted less than 2 minutes but i did do it during the day coz i was unsure of myself-safety first of course! so i tried it at night too and again they only lasted about 2 minutes so i bought some new ones 'cathedral' something or other, and im hoping they'll last a bit longer......any thoughts????

Hallo everyone else too - seems a long time ago I last went to Parker's Piece. Anyway I was going to add Mackays as another place for parafin (big hardware shop across East Road from back of Grafton Centre.

Hope punting trip goes well everyone.

A good soak makes fire last a bit longer but mine don't last all that long either. Am I right that monkey's fist last longer? I was thinking of investing in those one of these days.

Posted:12th Aug 2006Hi Julia , long time no see. Monkey fists do last a bit longer because of their low surface area:volume ratio the flames tend to be slightly smaller than equal sized cathedrals as a result tho (not really noticably).

Clo, not sure what your poi are like or where you bought them so its hard to tell. It really depends how big the wicks are, what shape they are (cathedral, tube core or monkey fist) and the quality of the wicks. Sounds like you already bought some new ones, so give those a go and how they work out. Not sure if its my imagination but I think mine burn longer now than when I bought them so you might see a slight increase in burn time after 3 or 4 burns, not promising anything though

My old ones were from Thailand, and were quite small and made out of this weird almost powdery sort of wick but i had 2 get some new ones anyway coz someone told me thai ones r abit unreliable safety wise n i dnt wnt 2 b lobbin poi heads at anyone at my sisters wedding!!

I was actually really worried about using my new ones b4 the wedding coz i thought if customs checks my suitcase (re:this airport high alert thing) and sees these burnt out things that may look suspiciously like weapons to the untrained eye then i mite find my self in an interesting predicament! but i will try with them b4 goin n e way.....thats if this bloomin rain stops anytime this year!

Posted:13th Aug 2006Yeah I've heard bad things about poi from thailand. I would avoid using them all together, especially now you have an alternative.

As for travelling with poi that have been used before, dry them out as much as possible. Wrap them up really well in plastic and try and take a photo of you/someone spinning and attach it to them. That way if someone finds them and thinks they are a bit suspect the picture will help explain what they are and you'll stand a better chance of getting them back. I know people have travelled with poi sucessfully but with the hightened security at the moment its best not to take any chances.

Ive just got back from Cyprus where i went for my sisters wedding, and just thought i'd pop in n mention that my FIRST EVER proper poi performance went really really well. So thank u to all of u that gave me advice n help n stuff. I was absolutely terrified at first but i just kept reminding myself to keep calm and relax and i did n it went really well.

There were about a couple of 100 guests there and because it was in a hotel there were also random people out eating there dinner so it was pretty packed but im chuffed that i did it. So thanx again for all the help u lot have given me!

I keep reminding myself that i shud but its well hard for me coz i live in Stradishall (near Highpoint prison) and i don't drive so its 2 buses 2 get to cambs and the last bus back 2 strad is at like 5o'clock!....so u see my predicament I will try tho.

Posted:29th Aug 2006Yep, that's right - more details at www.camcircus.org. We've got a huuuge hall, lots of toys (including some sock poi and staffs (staves??)), a stereo and lots of friendly types. We'll be indoors every Sunday now until July 2007, apart from a few public holidays.

Posted:20th Sep 2006Hi all, and especially hi to Guy, Amanda?, Tom and Simon who I met for the first time this Sunday on Parkers Piece/peace (whatever!!!). Thanks for the lessons and I hope you enjoyed the drumming/didge. Looking forward to coming next week.